Sunday, August 31, 2008

These leaks just won't stop! This time it's footage of GalaxyMan's stage from the trial version of Rockman 9 (recently demoed at the Rockman Summer Festival). If you listen closely, you can hear the stage's background music, which might I add, sounds quite upbeat!

About a year ago, Capcom of Japan released a enhanced port of Rockman 1 for mobile phones. Unlike previous ports, the game was the complete Rockman 1 experience (previous ports lacked the Wily Stages) with a little something extra: the option to play as Roll.

Awesome indeed. One has to wonder, will Rockman 9 allow us to play as Roll once again? I certainly hope so.

But wait! There's more! The album is coming bundled with a 24 page color booklet containing a 16 pages of an all new 'Rockman Megamix' manga by none other than the famed Hitoshi Ariga. That is just awesome.

Have you ever wanted to ask Inafune san a question? A question that has been lingering in your mind day after day? Now's your chance. Capcom-Unity is giving us fans a rare opportunity to have our questions answered by the father of Rockman himself; Keiji Inafune.

Capcom is submitting only the 'ten best questions' to Inafune, so make sure your questions are really good.

Interested? Join Capcom-Unity and post your question(s) at this topic.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Leaked straight from the 'Rockman Summer Festival', gameplay footage of Shooting Star Rockman 3 in all its glory.

Footage depicts a quick battle between Rockman and some Mets, then moves onto a discussion between Rockman (WarRock) and Shidou. (Get a load of the new face shots!) Following that, we move onto some tense fights showing various new Cards in action coupled with some splendid (but brief) Noise Change footage:

UPDATE: A second video has appeared. It seems to be the game's tutorial.

For the fun of it, I was digging around the old Capcom BBS when I stumbled upon an english translation of the X5 design notes. The notes describe the trial and tribulations of designing the colorful cast of X5.

It's well worth a read, you're guaranteed to learn something new:

CYGNUSDeveloper CommentsThere's been Irregular Hunter organizations in previous games, but we've never seen anyone from them outside of the Hunters, so this time I wanted to add some depth to that area. Bearing in mind ties to the previous games, I considered a young(?) Cygnus having the previous commissioner retire in the sense of taking responsibility for deciding on the Repliforce. Hm? What kind of person is the former commissioner? Well, he has whiskers and looks important, so maybe he's like General? (grin)Designer CommentsHim being an officer, I was worried he'd end up resembling Colonel, but I was strangely aware of it becoming an odd tale of not being able to determine his role from his form, so I boldly gave him a form that was definitive. His big shoulders and the six crystals on his chest convey his "importance level."

AERIA (ALIA)Developer CommentsBy popular demand(?) of the staff in previous games, female characters first showed up in the X series. Personally, I don't feel it's all that necessary, since these are titles aimed at kids.However, I felt the real problem was, could a female make cool decisions?So I settled on the result of a female navigator. Aeria was another design that was hard going. We went through any number of bad ones, for which I apologize, to make sure she was a denizen of RockMan DASH and matched with the X universe.[No Designer Comment]

DOUGLASDeveloper CommentsOn top of having parts and weapons, we absolutely had to have a mechanic! And so we set up Douglas. Mind, he doesn't show up that much in the first half of the game... (sweat)Designer CommentsSince he's a mechanic, I tried bringing out an on-the-scene mood in him by making him all arms(?), giving him a hat-like helmet and goggles, etc.

LIFESAVERDesigner CommentsLifesaver's got a super-slick design. But he shows up even less than Douglas. (sweat) He does touch on the core of the story, though, so go easy on me.If he seems strong for the role of a doctor, perhaps it's because he was originally planned to show up as an enemy? There was no set-up for him as an enemy originally, but if I could have them [you?] play, maybe they'd realize, "Oh! I wish they'd established him like that!" (Nah, I don't think they would (grin), but this is revealing a bit too much of the idea source, so I can't say any more.)Designer CommentsThis was the first of the sub-characters I designed. Pay attention and you'll see he has a more mechanical feel to him than do all the other Repliroids. I thought there was only one of him, so I was a bit surprised that a whole group shows up. Somehow it seems there are at least more than three of him/them.

FALCON ARMORDeveloper CommentsThis really is a ?? armor. (grin) My intention was to make an armor that was above all the rest, so I ended up taking the offensive. (sweat) The source material being the previous game's Fourth Armor also worried me a lot.I discarded any number of designs proposed by Seito, the designer in charge. (bitter laugh) I was very particular about it design-wise when I made it, since it would be the "poster armor" [as in "poster child"] for selling the game. From the fact that it can fly, he designed it using the image of a hawk. Its name has its origins in that too. I like the beak on the chest. Did you all notice it?Designer CommentsThis was the toughest. I caused trouble for a lot of people when I couldn't make it very well. Sorry. Consequently, though, it may be the one I like the best. I drew it with the image of a hawk in mind, and changed its name from Wing Armor to Falcon Armor. This was fun. I'm touched it'll shown up in commercials and in vending machines (since it's the first time for me).

GAEA ARMORDeveloper CommentsOnce again, a ??? armor. (sweat) Finally, you could walk on top of the thorns. Once you make me crouch down on my heels, I've started my mad dash. (grin) Is it because the concept of X5 is a mad dash? (grin) I lie. In order to contrast it design-wise with the Falcon, I had it made with no projections and colored black. All sorts of ideas cropped up, like making the arms symmetrical, and I'm glad the design turned out as fantastic as it did. Actually, this will be the first armor the designer Sensei designed.Designer CommentsIt was to look hard, heavy and strong, so I tried giving it a thudding, weighty feel. The chest is a point to note. I even tried making its color subdued, just using the vivid colors seen on armors to date as a point. This was to distinguish it from the other armors.

DYNAMODeveloper CommentsThis time, on top of the story, one of the main themes is the destruction of Earth and XXXX, so I felt there was less necessity for new characters and rival characters than there'd been to date. However, I thought it'd be lonely without ANY rivals, and thus Dynamo was born.To make him stand out, I set my sights on a character that hadn't been in the series before. He's halfhearted in personality, so he doesn't know if he wants to fight or not. It's not that he hates X or Zero; he fights because it's his job. He may appear irresponsible at first glance, but in fact, he's an adult of the late 20th century, philosophically viewing X and company, who give free rein to their enthusiasm when they fight.I also quite like him design-wise. It feels like an explosion of Sensei's design sense. Please treat my dear Dynamo well. (grin)Designer CommentsEstablished as a character who uses both a buster and a saber, the American cavalry flickers across his face. [I'm not sure what he means by this...] We settled on him being a rival for X and company even as we expanded on all sorts of ideas about what kind of past he has. His red visor is a high point of his design.

CRESCENT GRIZZLYDeveloper CommentsActually, he started off as a pig. (grin) I wanted to make him a largish boss, so I'd established him as a pig with poison gas, but I was worried over how ethical poison gas would be as a weapon [Cultural impact: Remember that subway incident?], so I scrapped that idea. (sweat) He's the first boss, but I wanted him to be big and impressive, but all bark and no bite, so I got some feedback from my seniors here and decided to make him a bear. The instant I decided on a bear, I easily figured out his attack methods and name.Designer CommentsHe's a bear and a drill besides. (His red hand transforms.) Working from that, there was no way he couldn't look powerful. That's why I tried emphasizing his drill arm by painting it red. Being that he's a Japanese bear [lit., "Ring-around-the-Moon bear"], I was lost as to how to work in the moon marking, but I eventually inserted it as part of the structure around his neck.

BOLT KRAKENDeveloper CommentsI decided from the start I was going to combine a squid with electricity. I fiddled comparatively with his movement in the game up until the very end. Previously, I wanted to invent a pretext for fighting with Octopuld, but when it came time to start thinking up the dialogue, it came to me in a flash: I'll make this guy XXX! (grin) Thinking up the dialogue myself, I got a bit worried...well, no, I got sick of it, so I had Zero express my feelings at that point. (sweat)Designer CommentsSeeing as he's a squid, he'd have plenty of legs, but if we honestly gave him all ten, he'd end up all pulpy-looking. I therefore tried giving him arms, legs, and two tentacles (equivalent to squid arm tentacles) always out for normal attack, plus two more stored away. These two would serve as his shoulder armor. He has a section pointing down from his waist, which is supposed to give the impression of the remaining two tentacles bundled together.

SHINING HOTARUNIXDeveloper CommentsThis boss was also settled on from the start. He's not plain evil, he's an intelligent, stubborn professor. I think he got a design that nicely echoes my mental image of him. There's actually a goof-up, though...I screwed up his coloring in the middle of designing him. There were two versions, red and yellow, and I'd decided on yellow, but things went crazy and I had a dot picture made with the unaccepted red. I noticed this at the last stages of the development, but by then it was too late.Designer CommentsThe majority of an actual firefly's body is blackish, so I designed him that way, but I didn't want to get people thinking, "Is this a cockroach?" I thus considered red, yellow, or white (doctor's coat) schemes, ultimately choosing red. He's a red-faced old man. His white mustache and glasses convey his scientist feel.

TIDAL MAKKOEENDeveloper CommentsThis is a boss that got vetoed for X4. He got nixed because it was difficult to personify a whale. If he wasn't humaniform to some extent, he wouldn't look boss-like. I actually wanted to make him about as big as Kibatodos, but he ended up rather compact.Designer CommentsNo matter how you tinker with a whale, it still looks like a whale, so I finished this one up comparatively easily. It's a bit of a shock, though, that even though he's a whale, he's smaller than a walrus (Kibatodos). While this guy was being developed, he got impossibly strong when his power dropped, making me feel like crying.

SPIKE ROSEREDDeveloper CommentsHis rose motif was decided early on. I had a nasty thought that, being a rose, he'd probably be a flashy/conceited jerk, so I modeled him on the Kakyoin in me. (grin) [Note: I don't know if I'm interpreting that right, but I believe it refers to the characterk Kakyoin from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.] With the idea for Zero's learned skill pretty much undecided, it was a tough job. I get the feeling the Twin Vision was the last skill to be decided upon.Designer CommentsAt any rate, since he's a rose, I tried not designing him simply in that object's form, but forming his silhouette so that when he spreads his arms, he gives an overall physical impression of a "flowerpot rose." By the way, I found out in researching roses that they come in a whole variety of shapes and colors.

SPIRAL PEGACIONDeveloper CommentsThis is our second(?) shot in the fantasy series. In the previous game, X4, we went for a dragon motif, but as a rule for the X series bosses, fantasy types are not existent creatures, so if it's hard to figure out, it becomes unavailable. Well, I broke that rule again this time. (grin)His attack method was easy to imagine and he looked cool, so I decided on him fairly quickly. The fact that his attack method resembles Eagleed's is because I was heavily influenced by CyberMission, which I was making at the same time, so I tried making them similar on purpose.Designer CommentsHe's a soldier, so he's in uniform (as is). I like him rather a bit, but I'd still like to rework the wings. When I was drawing this, I was listening to the theme to Captain Tsubasa over and over. [Captain Tsubasa is a classic soccer manga/anime.] Thus we have the wings (tsubasa) link....I don't know if he'll make the best use of them or not.

BURN DINOREXDeveloper CommentsOur third shot in the fantasy series. (grin) Our first, by the way, was X4's Dragoon. I think the fantasy series will be discontinued after this. (bitter laugh) This character didn't have enough capacity, and the designer in charge had a real tough time of it. Instead, we gave him a comparative abundance of attack patterns. Sorry about that.Designer CommentsWhen I got the idea to have fire blowing out of his back, I felt the illo seemed a lot cooler. I'm happy they gave him such a great name.

DARK NECROBATDeveloper CommentsThis was also influenced by a certain manga, so perhaps they asked the designer, "Please give him a Bat XXras feel!" (grin) [I have no idea to what character/manga he refers. The name is "Kohmori ??ras," where ?? is one kana blotted out.] However, as you can see from the results, he finished up as a smart design, and I really like it.Just before the game was completed, we discovered a bug that made the Dark Hold perpetually freeze the game. Gave me a real chill. (grin)Designer CommentsBeing a bat, he was established as draining his opponents' energy, so in short, he was Count Dracula, and I gave him form straight from that. A monster in full dress. He's the only one this game to have the Sigma mark on him.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The past weekend was truly the weekend of Shooting Star Rockman 3. Capcom pretty much laid out their marketing plans for the newest iteration of the series SSR series: Two versions seeing a simultaneous release, merchandise tie ins (in the form of promotional cards) and a new manga adaption with Takamisaki San at the wheel. But wait, something seems to be missing. Oh yeah, the traditional anime adaption.

There was NO mention of an SSR3 anime adaption at the Summer Festival at all. Not even a hint. What gives? Has Capcom ceased all funding to Xebec and sponsors? It's likely. Afterall, "Ryuusei no Rockman Tribe" was seemingly cancelled months ago, its time slot now occupied by the succesful show, "Penguin no Mondai."

Should fans be worried? Maybe. In the past, Capcom has used promotional events such as the Summer Festival to give us a glimpse of the upcoming anime adaption, sadly this was not the case.

However, we shouldn't jump the gun just yet. It's possible as more info of the "Red Joker" version comes to light, so will informaion regarding the SSR3 anime adaption (and of course, Takara Tomy merchandise based off of the show).

This is-afterall, Capcom we're talking about. They like money. What better way to promote a game than give it its own anime? It's a powerful marketing tool.

For now don't fret. We have a few months before SSR3's release. Who knows what will be announced between now and then

"DM says he didn’t get to see it firsthand, but got told the following:At the Custom screen, the ‘aspect’ can be selected. Cards are stacked under ‘Support Use’ and ‘Single Use’. Support Cards use attributes, eg. non-element Area Eater, Fire-element Attack+10, Water-element Invis (?), Elec-element MahiPlus (Paralyze), Wood-element KusamuraStage (GrassStage). Single Use are the cards that are aren’t unavailable (?).

Favourite Cards to be removed? The Regular System is returning from Rockman EXE, and Program Advance-like things as well.

Voices also come back, with the title call (Shidou and others can be heard), form change, Denpa Henkan and NFB being voiced. Warrock is also voiced (eg. saying Area Eater).

The cyberworld returns! Wave In and Wave Out are replaced with Cyber In and Cyber Out, to suit the feel of a cyberworld.

Tsukasa’s seat in the classroom is empty, from the demos shown, and overall graphics have been improved."

Thanks Reploid20xx!

UPDATE 2: Even more SSr3 news from various sources!

From The Undersquare:It seems that early-release of the versions will include special bonus white cards that act similarly to Brother Force: High Speed Black Ace or Powered Red Joker depending on the version. When selected, they will randomly roulette through four different cards, including a special Noise Force Big-Bang, which is displayed on the top left card on both White cards in the image. For Black Ace version, this is Meteorite Barrage while Red Joker version's special white card NFB is Atomic Blazer, which is likely identical to Rockman Fire Leo's Star Force Big-Bang from the first game, judging from the illustration. Both white cards also include Beast Swing 1 and an unknown battle card. High Speed Black Ace also has Wide Wave 1 while Powered Red Joker also has Attack+10.

(Note: Atomic Blazer is not Red Joker's Noise Force Big-Bang. That is yet to be revealed. Black Ace already has Black End Galaxy)

Many details about the game were revealed. In order to increase the Noise level during virus battles, you must defeat a virus with overkill. The extra amount of damage will be added. If one deals 80 damage to a 40 HP Mettrio virus using Wide Sword, the Noise level will increase by 40%. During boss battles, Noise will increase by half the damage dealt to a boss with an attack. The Noise level will only be affected by non-elemental attacks (It cannot be fire/aqua/elec/wood). Also, wind-type cards and sword-type card have been given proper designations in this game and it seems that they also will not contribute towards the increase of the Noise level.

It seems that Program Advances are also returning. The report mentions that a new card is formed when three Cannon cards are selected, forming a more powerful attack.

Like Star Force and Tribes, as well as Crosses from EXE6, the Noise Changes will automatically power down to their "Color Out" forms if they are struck by their elemental-weakness and the Noise Level will drop to 0%. Cygnus Noise has been designated "swords" as a weakness.

Some details on Noise Changes have also been revealed. Gemini Noise appears to have a Noise Force Big-Bang called Thunder Bolt Blazer. It also seems that the form will grant the Side Select ability. As for Cygnus Noise, in the "Color Out" form, it simply grants +10 damage to non-elemental cards and the Float ability. When the Noise level rises to above 50%, the transformation will fill in and Rockman will gain many more abilities, including the Feather Vulcan charged shot, which acts similarly to Mad Vulcan, +30 damage to non-time-freezing, Wind-type cards, and the Noise Force Big-Bang Meteorite Bomb, which strikes a 3x3 area twice for 140 damage per shot.

The report confirms the return of many support cards, such as Kusamura Stage, Mahi Plus, and Attack+10, though they've been revamped in some form. The Gravity Stage card will also be returning from the first game in the form of Gravity Plus, and it seems Harp Note will be able to use it. As we already know, new mugshots will be featured in this game, with War-Rock and Luna receiving new icons. The report also seems to imply that Ox will not be the first Wizard that Gonta uses. The report also mentions that a new dictionary-like function will be added to the game. There's a good chance that it's related to Kizamaro and his new Wizard, Pedia. Words that come with definitions in the dictionary will be written in red in-game and touching the words on the touch-screen will display the definitions.

Voice acting will indeed be returning. Such examples include Subaru crying out "Trans Code! Shooting Star Rockman!" during transformation, screams when deleted, a war-cry from Rock during the Beast Swing battle card sequence, or certain battle cards calls, such as Area Eater.

From PRC Tipster "CutMan:"

-You can transform into Rockman anytime without the aide of a "Wave Hole."-"Side angled battles" (EXE style battles) can be turned on/off in the options menu.-The Sky High Coliseum will make a return

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The "Rockman Summer Festival" has begun! The show will be home to new playable demos of Rockman 9, the public's first peek at Shooting Star Rockman 3 and god knows what else.

Thankfully, we won't be left out of the festivities as "Anoop's Blog" is currently live blogging the event. Isn't that lovely?

A few notable things from the festival so far:

-New Rockman 9 demo featuring GalaxyMan's stage.-E-Tanks and other merchandise have sold out within moments.-A group shot of the Rockman 9 cast was unveiled (seen above)-A "BIG" Shooting Star Rockman 3 conference will be held later in the day. Announcements are expected.

Check Anoop's Blog periodically for future announcments. Of course, I'll do my best to keep us up to date as well but I'm awfully tired tonight :)

Friday, August 22, 2008

Surprise, surprise. Rockman Trigger (aka Rockman Voulnutt) has been confirmed as a playable character for the newest entry in Capcom's famous 'VS.' franchise: 'Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom.' It's not DASH 3, but damn, is it good to see Rock in action again.

This unique program created by Liam Akakpo, aims to turn your Windows operating system into a fully functional PET. Currently, the project is in beta testing, but will eventually be available in the near future for public distribution. Many thanks to Josh who sent this in.

UPDATE: Scratch what I said about beta testing, the program is done and can be downloaded from here!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Not nearly as exciting as yesterday's Rockman Rockman "news", (deconfirmed by the way) but still news worthy nonetheless.

Capcom plans to re release 'Rockman Rockman' under PSP's "Best Price!" budget lineup in the very near future for 2,050 Yen. Those who've yet to play the Japanese version may want to invest in the re release, especially if it means another chance to raise Rockman Rockman's profits. (Better profits=better chances of sequel)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

According to PRC tipsters, “Z00t” and “Anonymous”, concept artwork of ''Rockman Rockman 2” apparently surfaced on the popular Japanese image board 2ch. The topic is long gone, but thankfully Z00t and Anonymous managed to jot down the gist of it:

-Ten minutes later, he reveals that the final sketch in the bundle was not related to IHX at all, rather, it appeared to be concept artwork from the seemingly canceled Rockman Rockman 2.

-Moments later, several other 2ch users demand to see the piece.

-The following hour, OP (original poster) returned with a scan of the concept artwork. (As seen above)

-OP mentions that the back of the piece contains the date '3/6/06', approximately three days after Rockman Rockman's domestic release. The back was scanned, but neither Z00t nor Anonymous saved the picture in time, topic had disappeared the next hour.

-Anonymous mentioned that several 2ch users doubted the piece, deeming it fan art. However, there were quite a few believers.

Personally, I don't know what to make of this. The artwork does look “official”, though something feels kinda off about it. It's definitely possible this is legitimate based on the datethe art was was conceived (3/6/08). If memory serves me right, Inafune once mentioned Rockman Rockman 2 was in pre production during Rockman Rockman's development. If that's the case, then this may indeed be artwork from this pre production phase.

For now, we can only make assumptions. Don't jump to conclusions yet, this is after all...another rumor.

Thanks Z00t and Anonymous

*UPDATE*

It's 100% fake, so is this. Nothing more than really good fan art. Thanks Ageman20XX and Zan

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Currently at iOffer, the highly obscure MegaMan 3 Tiger LCD game is up for grabs, but what makes this specific item worthy of your attention is the fact that it is UNOPENED. The game itself is rare, but even rarer to find one in tip top unopened condition.

The seller is asking for $47.98 with the additional shipping price of $37.47. A hefty price indeed considering it original retailed for $9.99.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Starting this month, Capcom of Japan will be selling "Rockman E-Tank Sport Drinks" for the low price of 137 yen ($1.25 USD). The best part is the can looks like an E-Tank, so it can double as a collectors item and a beverage! That is just so cool. Seriously Capcom, you guys are really impressing me with all this RM9 love.

Promoting a video game through soft drinks is nothing new, previously Square Enix promoted "Final Fantasy XII" with a series of "potions", though I've been told they taste awful.

One has to wonder, will US Rockman fans get a taste of this lovely promotional item? Only time will tell.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Capcom's Official Rockman 9 site has updated with info concerning Dr. Light's Lab, the area of the game where Bolts are redeemed for items and abilities. (left button, second row) Currently, a translation of the shop's contents does not exist, but we can make out the usual suspects: E Cans, M Cans, 1Ups, Spike Chip, Guard Up and the ever popular Energy Balancer are all returning in Rockman 9.

UPDATE:

Small translation provided by Chris:

"The Roll icon is "Costume" which I'm assuming allows you to "play as" characters like Roll and Protoman. The little book is "Hair-style Book" which probably let's him make sprite changes to just his hair, and the 1/2 icon is "Guard-UP" which halves damage."

UPDATE 2:Reploid20xx has provided detailed descriptions of each item:1UP (020 Nuts)Increases the amount of Lives by 1.

It's no mystery that a majority of RM9's Robot Masters were influenced by some fan favorites (TornadoMan=GyroMan+TopMan), but did Capcom over do it? Is this a case of "fan wanking" to further please us?

Do you think Capcom could have put more into the designs of the Robot Masters?

Personally, yes they could have done a bit more, though I am quite pleased with SplashWoman, regardless if she looks a bit too much like Levi.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

One thing is certain about MegaMan 9; It's going to be tough. Capcom appears to be further honoring MM9's difficulty with numerous achievements that only the seasoned veterans can master. Can you tackle these feats?

JitterbugClear the game in 60 minutes or less.

InvincibleClear the game without dying.

Almost InvincibleClear the game without continuing.

Gamer’s DayClear the game 5 times in 1 day.

Trusty SidearmDefeat the 8 Bosses with the Mega Buster.

Blue BomberDefeat a Boss without getting damaged.

View all twelve Achievements and their rewards at "Inside MGC." (Also, take a gander at the Robot Master's sprites on the left side of the page. Sweet!)

As for Wii and PS3 versions, no official word if either of the two will have a similar system. However, Wiifanboy's playthrough of MM9 implied that the Wii version will contain something along the lines of Achievements:

"The only hint of newness was found in the control explanation sheet -- the minus button will eventually go to the "Challenge List," a feature that wasn't yet revealed."

The Official RnR3 website updated today with a hefty amount of new screens giving us our first look at Rockman's "Finalize" form, which I gotta say, looks kick ass.

-Finalize (aka 'Final Rise') occurs when the Noise Ratio is over 200%. Once this happens, you are prompted to gain access to Meteor G itself, lending you the power to transform into the ultimate form. So far, only the Black Ace form has been revealed, though I expect to see more Finalize forms in the near future.

-Black Ace's "Noise Force Big Bang", Black End Galaxy, allows Rockman to place a large black hole onto the battlefield, paralyzing enemies and dealing a 500 damage Sword based attack.

-We have our first look at Shidou's Wave Form; Acid Ace. Utilizing the program, "Ace Program", Shidou and Acid gain access to Meteor G as well, allowing them to draw upon its immense powers.-Five new Noise Change forms were revealed: Cancer Noise, Crown Noise, Virgo Noise, Wolf Noise, and Corvus Noise. Nothing interesting about these new forms, though it should be noted that we now have a grand total of ten Noise Change forms.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

This is a surprise: Apparently, Udon Entertainmentannounced that they have signed a contract with Capcom to translate and distribute "R20: Rockman & Rockman X Official Complete Works" art book in America.

Awesome news. Let's just hope Udon can release this sooner than later. MMZOCW works took years to come out. I'm prepared to wait at least a year and a half before I see this on shelves.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Last night, I received an anonymous tip that the cellphone game, “Rockman GP” is getting a DS port this fall. Anonymous claims the news comes from the newest issue of "Nintendo Dream Magazine", a sister magazine of the ever popular Famitsu.

Rockman GP was previously released on Japanese cellphones in early 2004 sporting gameplay reminiscent of “Battle & Chase.” Players could choose between three racers, Rockman, Roll and Forte.

The claimed DS port will feature an additional nine characters, ten new tracks, special “DS features” and wireless Wifi play.

Now, don't get too excited this is after all another rumor. I've yet to see this reported from other sources, so chances of this being true are slim. We'll see what happens.

Friday, August 8, 2008

New RnR3 details have emerged from the latest issue of CoroCoro Comics (volume nine), unveiling the first version of Ryuusei no Rockman 3: "Black Ace." Currently, it is unknown at this time if more versions will follow, though I speculate we'll see one or two more.

Also revealed was the "ultimate" form known as "Finalize." Finalize is achieved when the player's Noise Ratio is above 200%. Once in Finalize, Rockman's body turns jet black, sprouting a pair of wings. Rockman is granted the abilities of Float Shoes, the Noise Force Big Bang attack "Black End Galaxy."

Finally, the newest addition to the Ryuusei cast, Shidou, can transform into "Acid Ace" with the aid of his Wizard Acid.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Our hopes of receiving MegaMan on the Virtual Console were crushed by an unexpected crap load of SEGA games. What happened? Didn't Capcom announce an August 4th release? Of course they did, in their now MIA press release.

In fact, Capcom wasn't the only publisher to make announcements regarding August 4th's update. Both SNK and Hudson previously announced that Samurai Showdown II and Ys Book I&II would be included in the August 4th line up, but failed to show. So, what the heck happened? Nintendo has the answer:

"A number of variables can affect a game’s release date. Therefore, the Wii-kly Update is the only authority for confirmed release dates of Virtual Console games."

The lesson from this: Publishers still have no control or knowledge of their games' VC releases. In the end, our expectations are screwed.

Monday, August 4, 2008

GS: Essentially, this game isn’t actually a Famicom game. If it were burned to a cartridge, it wouldn’t actually run on a Famicom. It is a duplication of the Famicom capabilities, but within a modern game engine and technology.HT: Well, when you put it that way… (laughter) This couldn’t fit on a Famicom cartridge. It’s too big. It’s too much for that. It’s really emulating the old style of games. But we’re hoping that when people play, they feel the same nostalgia that they have when they play the original games.

GS: You talked about how people were trying to graphically exceed the capabilities of the Famicom, but what about the temptation to exceed some other capabilities, such as flicker, slowdown, sprite limits, and stuff like that? Was it really hard to get people to stay within the confines of what they could have done, if this had come out after Mega Man 6 in 1993?

HT: Yeah, there were some things, like you couldn’t have more than three enemies on the screen at once, so we had to make sure that that’s how it stayed in our game. In the part with the dragon with the flame, [there should be] flickering, and whatnot.

In the options of this game, you can adjust that, unlike the old games. We purposely put some of those old-school bugs into this game, so it does recreate that feel.

The official Rockman ZX Developer's Blog has updated for the very first time since November of 2007. Hey, that's just dandy. However, the update is something not to be happy about in the least; the update regretfully informs us the blog will be shutting its doors on August 31st, 2008.

That's a darn shame.

The Developer's Blog opened up prior to the release of ZX Advent as a promotional tool, giving fans a behind the screens look at ZXA's development from its numerous contributors.

Frequent Japanese visitors of the blog have already expressed their dissapointment through the blog's numerous comment sections, though I doubt their pleas will do anything worthwile.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Looks like Wii owners are getting a nice treat this Monday! From Capcom Unity:

"To prepare all you Mega Man fans for the release of Mega Man 9 in September, we're going to offer you the opportunity to play the game that started it all. The orginal Mega Man game returns on the Virtual Console this Monday, August 4, 2008. Yes, that's right. Brush up on your old school skills and prepare for some cool contests we have in store. We also plan to re-release Mega Man 2 in early September as well. "

Can I get a yes?

UPDATE: I'm sure most of you have already noticed the lack of MegaMan on the VC. Myself nor anyone else have no idea what happened, but check back periodically for updates. Maybe Capcom or Nintendo will issue some sort of statement.